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American Shipbuilding in 1927 Several Passenger Ships Completed—No Vessels Built for Foreign Trade—Large Tankers Constructed—Five Scout Cruisers Ordered By A. H. Jansson fexO)| Upward in other countries the United States share of world production declined slightly during 1927, dropping from 9 per cent of such production in 1926 to a little less than 8 per cent for the calendar year 1927. This condition prevailed in spite of the fact that the launchings of ships in the above category in the United States in- creased during 1927 to 179,216 gross tons as compared with 150,613 gross tons during 1926. While the United States with thousands of miles of coastline on the two great oceans of the world built less than 8 per cent. Great Britain and Ireland’s proportion- ate share in the world’s output showed a decided gain, increasing from 38 per:.cent in 1926 to nearly 54 per cent for 1921 in - 1916, as poimted out by H. G. Smith in an article in 20 SUE to the fact that there was a greater | proportionate increase in the production of merchant vessels of 100 gross tons and _ building of large steel vessels. S.S. California Passing Through Gaillard Cut, Panama Canal: Feb. 3, 1928 on Her Maiden Voyage to’San Francisco Motive Power Compared—Two Years No. Per cent Types 1927 1926 1927 1926 Steam reciprocating coal burner.... 27 38 25.7 381.4 Steam reciprocating oil burner...... 1b: 12 as 99 Steam turbine oil burmner................ & oO 76 : Diesel engine, direct drive................ Pi alee yeaa SS ‘ Diesel engine, electric drive............ LS. 26 Turbine-electric oil burner.............. ee eereececes Peer eee eeereseeeeesseeeeesseeeeerereseseeeeee Recapitulating for Primary Power No. Per cent 1927 1926 1927 1926 Steam—as primary powet.............. 60). 00 Dike De. Diesel—as primary powet............... 45 58 42.8 47.9 eee eee eee ta igs rsceigc i Wiwassicnee ds: 105 121 100.0 100.0 Types Recapitulating for Power at Propeller No. Per cent Types 1927 1926 1927 1926 Steam—Direct and reduction gears 50 59 47.6 48.8 Diesel—Direct drive... ;.....cscessecevsosades ah: oe eb. Bad 28°30 26.7 24.8 beddeasaa sc iesaetapsneveab essed chayndscean, 105 121 100.0 100.0 Recapitulating for Fuel No. Per cent Types 1927 1926 1927 1926 Steam—Burning coal ....... cece 28-80 26.74 82.0 Steam—Burning fuel oil... 32 24 30.5 19.9 Diesel—Diesel oil as fuel... 45 58 42.8 47.9 6) U1 ERS eRe ee Sn ne 105 121 100.0 100.0 ————————————————— | MARINE REVIEW—April, 1928 MARINE REVIEW for March, there were sixteen shipyards in the United States engaged in the Of these sixteen Shipyards only eight, and one new yard started in 1917, are now in op- eration. In each of the five largest shipyards, Mr. Smith goes on to say, now building steel vessels the average num- ber of ships contracted for per year for the last seven years has been less than 214 vessels, and further, that the closing of eight shipyards and the small volume of work in the remaining yards has reduced the available men on _ the shipbuilding technical Stall’ of the United States to about one quarter of the number employed in 1916, and that means that the shipbuilding business is four times as bad as it was in 1916. A visit to our principal shipyards, such as the writer made recently, fully bears out the present deplorable condition of an essential industry in a_ great country. The yards are